Rabbit High Country Review: Jackalope Dreamin’

Introduction to the Rabbit High Country

TAYLOR: Out of the box is how things are done these days. Most shoes are primed and ready from the get-go, and we can get a fairly solid idea of what experience a shoe will provide. We put in the miles regardless to extract the nuances.

It’s rarer these days to have a true “break-in” period for a shoe before it shows its true character. That’s why when I took my first steps in the Rabbit High Country, I had one of those “uh-oh” moments. Thankfully, this isn’t the first shoe to do so. Recently, the La Sportive Prodigio Max, Merrell MTL Adapt, and Craft Pure Trail X gave me the same feeling.

A few extra miles typically do the trick. So, I put them in, and I’m glad I did. Rabbit created a trail shoe with quite a few layers. Its purpose is to simply saddle up and get to work. It wants to please runners for daily miles through their ultra-distance endeavors.

What’s exciting about this debut trail shoe is that Rabbit didn’t necessarily stick with the status quo. It pieced together a unique design to combine comfort and performance.

Sure, there’s a familiar Flowstate foam that was found in the Dreamchaser 2.0, but additions like a heftier trail-specific upper, new outsole materials, and Carbon Trax make the Rabbit High Country an intriguing new player on the field.

REESE: My only experience with Rabbit, until now, has been with its winter gear, which, surprisingly, is really warm. Not exactly what you’d expect from a brand with deep California roots. Obviously, just because it’s based in Cali doesn’t mean Rabbit has to exclusively make warm-weather clothing and wetsuits. Maybe it secretly knows a thing or two about winter, or like me, it wants absolutely nothing to do with the cold, so it just went all in on insulation. (If you’re curious, you can read that winter review here.)

But this review isn’t about winter layers. It’s about the new trail shoe, the Rabbit High Country. The name alone feels a little off-brand, mountain vibes from a company that usually leans hard into coastal California energy. Rabbit put this shoe to the test in the Grand Canyon, which again feels a little odd. With a name like High Country, I would have suspected some kind of alpine or Sierra route. But I digress.

After logging some miles in the shoe (and testing a few of the newer shorts), it seems like Rabbit is in the midst of a brand evolution, though not without a few growing pains. There’s a noticeable tension in the design and material choices, like Rabbit is still figuring out who it wants to be. That’s not necessarily a bad thing; risks can lead to great innovation, but it does feel like the brand is navigating an identity shift in real time. I could be totally wrong, and Rabbit could be super secure in who it is and what it’s doing, but keep reading to hear out my case.

What we like about the Rabbit High Country

TAYLOR: As you’ll find out, the Rabbit High Country has a lot going on, and it ends up being quite a stout shoe. When that’s the case, it’s easy to have an off-kilter experience, but this one is balanced from top to bottom.

The High Country’s upper is on the thicker side — it felt like a thicker traditional mesh or a jacquard mesh. A couple of shoes had a similar upper, like the Hoka Mafate Speed 4 and Icebug Jarv, and all provided both durability and a unique, satisfactory fit.

The High Country, though, had a fairly average width that could be accommodated as needed. It’s not a super-wide shoe, but it did have enough room to splay my foot comfortably. What’s more unique is that the upper actually sandwiched my foot nicely to the footbed. There was a fairly shallow fit on the High Country, so it provided nice security in the forefoot and midfoot without constricting my foot.

Runners have the choice of a traditional EVA or the Blumaka Zonal Grip insole. Blumaka has a strong pedigree in workforce footwear. Both were fine because of the upper’s low ceiling. I would say that the Blumaka insole provided more underfoot cushioning and secure fit overall, but it was a marginal experience that warrants getting used to. It did save my toes from ramming into the burly toe bumper on downhills, though.

Underfoot is what will set the Rabbit High Country apart from many other shoes in its category. At 38/33 mm stack (5 mm drop), this is knocking on the max-stack door. The Flowstate midsole itself needed a little bit of breaking in, but it actually feels like a pretty optimal density for trails where protection, stability, and some energy return are all noticeable.

The forefoot’s unique rocker reminded me of an oldie, the Brooks Caldera 4, which had a noticeable tip right through the big toe. Once the forefoot makes its move, it’s decisive, and the medium/soft ETPU foam works right along with it.

The back half of the Rabbit High Country takes on a different character because the geometry flattens out, continues the wider profile, and gains a block of EVA that houses the Carbon Trax. The Carbon Trax are two separate small carbon plates set on the lateral and medial side of the midfoot. Functionally, the combo provided an uber-stable ride, which effectively put the Rabbit High Country into the monster truck realm with shoes like the Merrell MTL Adapt, Hoka Mafate X, La Sportiva Prodigio Max, and Brooks Caldera 8 that can roll over anything with excellent protection and stability.

Rabbit’s 360 Grip assisted in that rover mission. The rectangular multidirectional 4 mm lugs did a fine job gripping a variety of surfaces with few concerns.

Something worth considering is that I think the Rabbit High Country will remain intact for quite some time. This shoe should hold up longer than the average max-cushioned trail runner on the market.

REESE: This has been my summer of being super injured from ankle rolls (i.e., exploding my ankle until the point where even my calf is black and blue), so that means that I’m hyper-focused on stability. I think this shoe does a nice job of providing a stable base. Couple that with Rabbit’s proprietary 360 Grip, and this shoe keeps you pretty well glued to the ground.

The shoe is a bit of a Goldilocks fit, neither too narrow nor too wide. I like a super locked-in heel, narrow midfoot, and slightly roomy toe box; however, I usually like my shoes to fit snugly. My toenails might say I like shoes that are too snug, but whatever. In the High Country, I was able to lock down my midfoot really well, while still having room to move my toes around. I did need to use all the lace eyelets to prevent my heel from slipping.

The Flowstate Foam midsole and carbon plate make for an interesting ride. I agree with Taylor that the shoe does need a break-in period. I felt like after 10 miles, mine were starting to feel a little more relaxed. I’ll give more info on that below. It’s on the stiffer side, and there is no way you’re feeling any rocks or ground feel in these shoes. I purposefully stepped on rocks (sorry, ankles!) just to see if I could feel them jab the soles of my feet – nope, felt nothing. The rocker helps lessen the harshness of the stiffness of the shoe. It’s not overly aggressive, but it provides a welcome, easy, smooth stride.

What we don’t like about the Rabbit High Country

TAYLOR: There’s no hiding that the Rabbit High Country is a whole lot of shoe. It’s weighty, but nothing wild. Weight used to be a chief concern with these high-stacked runners, but many of them have the geometries and foams to make them quite smooth and feel lighter than they are. I wish that were more the case in the Rabbit High Country.

While stability is a strong positive here, I think Rabbit left the teabag in the cup for a little too long. The trio of a denser foam layer, Carbon Trax, and a wider profile created an experience that felt over-controlled to me. Typically, we’ll see a shoe outfitted with one or two of those components. Some will like this sensation, but it certainly took away from the ability to be an everyday workhorse that can be more nimble or pick up the pace. I felt like the midfoot concoction wasn’t conducive to forward motion.

The fit was less of a big deal. The heel construction has plenty of comfort measures, with nice structure, padding, and a soft liner. The silky liner and low ankle collar make it tough for the heel to feel locked in. Lacing through the upper eyelets helped, but I could never completely take the heel lift away, especially on uphill portions.

Lastly, the upper does have a lot of material and feels warm from time to time.

REESE: Ok, so here’s where I’ll make my case that Rabbit might be a little confused. When I hear a shoe has a carbon plate, I expect something race-ready. That means lightweight materials, a precision-engineered upper like the Arc’teryx Matryx Micro, or at the very least, a TPU upper. I’d also expect the outsole to be grippy but not overly luggy. Gotta keep that speed up. I’d normally see something akin to Vibram Litebase outsole to keep things light and fast.

This shoe doesn’t follow that logic. It has a carbon plate, but the materials feel pretty heavy. While I appreciate that the upper is made from 60% recycled engineered mesh, it’s not what I’d consider a performance-grade material. Then there’s the Blumaka non-slip Konnect insole, designed to prevent your foot from sliding inside the shoe. For me, it just made my feet feel weirdly sweaty, even when they weren’t. That sensation, combined with the thick upper, made for an experience I wasn’t entirely sold on.

To its credit, Rabbit does include a standard insert if the non-slip version isn’t your thing.

The outsole, while grippy, did add to the weight of the shoe. To give you an idea of weight, Taylor recently reviewed the La Sportiva Prodigio Max, another max-cushioned shoe. It weighs 9.1 oz. (260 g) for a US W7. Rabbit’s given weight for a US M9 (the sample size) is 11.1 oz, which is a full two ounces more. Combine that with the overall structure, and this Rabbit feels kinda heavy or, at the very least, a little sluggish.

Overall, it just feels like there’s too much going on. Is this a race shoe? A daily trainer? Maybe it’s trying to be both. But the combination of materials and features doesn’t come together in a way that feels intentional or cohesive.

Final thoughts on the Rabbit High Country

TAYLOR: This is Rabbit’s first crack at a trail running shoe. I would say it ended up performing as we’d expect a rookie would. Pretty much every aspect has a couple of positives and at least a single challenge to accompany it. This will simply narrow down which runners will take their chance on a $180 debut.

Rabbit is known for comfort, so it’s no surprise it nailed that from a materials and fit standpoint. The very stable, protective, and well-cushioned ride is a strong suit and will probably be the light switch for runners.

I think the Rabbit High Country will be best for runners who want a well-built, rover-like ride, with the extra comfort measures to go the distance. It also looks good enough to wear daily or pick up as an equally strong hiker.

REESE: After running in this shoe, I find myself questioning some of the design choices, and to some extent, I’m doing the same thing with the Rabbit shorts I’m reviewing. So maybe these are intentional design choices that I’m just not really into. Like George Costanza said, “It’s not you, it’s me.”

It feels like they’ve made cargo shorts with heavy fabrics for FKT shorts. Shouldn’t shorts designed for a “fastest known time” be fast and light? Shouldn’t a carbon-plated shoe be a race shoe? Maybe I’m wrong. It wouldn’t be the first time. I’m just not seeing the big picture. I’m either confused or gaslighting myself about Rabbit’s new products.

If I try to look past the carbon plate that’s throwing me off (and the High Country name, but testing it in the Grand Canyon…), it really is a nice, stable shoe. And a shoe that is $180 with a carbon plate is pretty hard to come by. I would expect that price tag to start with a two. The midsole foam, while stiffer than I’d like, seems incredibly resilient. I bet this shoe can last beyond what I’ve expected a normal race shoe to last (If I get over 250 miles in my Summit Series TNF shoes, I’m lucky.) Talk about bang for your buck.

You can pick up the Rabbit High Country for $180 from Rabbit by using the buttons below.